Manhattan transfer Seydou Traore commits to Iowa

Manhattan basketball transfer Seydou Traore committed to Iowa, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. He garnered a good amount of Power Five interest.

“NEWS: Manhattan transfer wing Seydou Traore has committed to Iowa, his agent Daniel Poneman tells On3 Sports,” Tipton wrote on Twitter. “The 6-7 freshman averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game this season.”

He played just one season for the Jaspers and will jump to the Big Ten conference this upcoming winter.

“What was particularly impressive about Traore’s first year at the college level was his performance against high major programs,” Hawkeye Report’s Tom Kakert wrote. “Manhattan played Kanas and UCONN this past season and Traore gave a good accounting of himself. Against the Jayhawks he scored 16 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Against the Huskies, he scored 13 points and again, reached 8 rebounds.

“With this addition, Iowa now has filled 12 of their 13 scholarships. The Hawkeyes are currently waiting on a final decision from wing Payton Sandfort, who is currently competing at the NBA Combine in Chicago. Traore will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Iowa basketball program.”

Sanfort has until May 29th to decide if he will return for his final season with the Hawkeyes, teaming up with Traore.

“It has been a dream come true to represent this program and my state the past three seasons as a Hawkeye,” Sandfordt said. “Every day I pushed myself to make our team as successful as possible. I have loved every second of being a Hawkeye.

“It has been my lifelong dream to get the opportunity to play in the NBA. I plan to enter my name into the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining my eligibility. I will continue to push myself every day to make this dream a reality. I appreciate the support from Hawkeye nation as I go through this process.”

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery is fully supportive of Sandfort exploring this opportunity.

“We fully support Payton using this opportunity to gain valuable feedback from NBA personnel through workouts and interviews,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “Payton is one of the best shooters in the nation and he displayed an all-around game during his junior season. He will go through this process with a professional approach, and we are excited to see his game continue to grow to another level.”